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Sween Myth-tery of Life :: Asprin Robert
Страница: 72 из 110Don't take it personally."
He gave me a playful punch on the arm, but, for a change, I wasn't reassured.
"But they weren't reacting to an outsider, Aahz.
They were reacting to me. I live here, too. What's more, they knew it. They knew who I was and that I work at the castle, but they still treated me like an outsider."
"As far as they're concerned, you are."
That one stopped me.
"How's that again?"
"Take a look at the facts, Skeeve," Aahz said, more serious now. "Even ignoring your travels through the dimensions, you aren't the same as them. Like you say, you work at the castle ... and not as a chambermaid or a kitchen worker, either. You're one of the main advisors to the Queen, not to mention a possible consort ... though I doubt they know that. Things you do and say on a daily basis affect everyone in this kingdom. That alone puts you on a different social ... not to mention economic ... level from the folks here in town."
That made me pause and think.
My new life and lifestyle had sort of grown up around me over the years. Socializing and/or clashing with kings or mayors had become pretty commonplace, though I had never stopped to consider it. Rather, I had always assumed that it sort of went with the territory when one was a magician. Then again, how many magicians had I met while I was growing up?
Aahz was right. My work with the team had cocooned me away from the rest of society to a point where I took things for granted. The extraordinary had become so ordinary to me, that I had ceased to be aware of, or even consider, how it must seem to the ordinary citizens.
I shook my head abruptly.
"No. There's more to it than that, Aahz. Those people back there didn't like me."
"Uh-huh," my partner nodded. "So what's your point?"
"What's my point*" I echoed a little shrilly. "Maybe you didn't understand me. I said ..."
"... They didn't like you," Aahz finished. "So what?"
"What do you mean 'So what'?" I said. "Don't you want to be liked?"
My old mentor frowned slightly, then gave a shrug.
"I suppose it would be nice," he said. "But I really don't give it much thought."
"But ..."
"And neither should you."
There was a levelness and firmness, almost a warning, in his tone that brought me up short.
Instead of protesting, I struggled for several moments trying to understand what he was trying to tell me, then surrendered with a shake of my head.
"I don't get it, Aahz.
He gave me a playful punch on the arm, but, for a change, I wasn't reassured.
"But they weren't reacting to an outsider, Aahz.
They were reacting to me. I live here, too. What's more, they knew it. They knew who I was and that I work at the castle, but they still treated me like an outsider."
"As far as they're concerned, you are."
That one stopped me.
"How's that again?"
"Take a look at the facts, Skeeve," Aahz said, more serious now. "Even ignoring your travels through the dimensions, you aren't the same as them. Like you say, you work at the castle ... and not as a chambermaid or a kitchen worker, either. You're one of the main advisors to the Queen, not to mention a possible consort ... though I doubt they know that. Things you do and say on a daily basis affect everyone in this kingdom. That alone puts you on a different social ... not to mention economic ... level from the folks here in town."
That made me pause and think.
My new life and lifestyle had sort of grown up around me over the years. Socializing and/or clashing with kings or mayors had become pretty commonplace, though I had never stopped to consider it. Rather, I had always assumed that it sort of went with the territory when one was a magician. Then again, how many magicians had I met while I was growing up?
Aahz was right. My work with the team had cocooned me away from the rest of society to a point where I took things for granted. The extraordinary had become so ordinary to me, that I had ceased to be aware of, or even consider, how it must seem to the ordinary citizens.
I shook my head abruptly.
"No. There's more to it than that, Aahz. Those people back there didn't like me."
"Uh-huh," my partner nodded. "So what's your point?"
"What's my point*" I echoed a little shrilly. "Maybe you didn't understand me. I said ..."
"... They didn't like you," Aahz finished. "So what?"
"What do you mean 'So what'?" I said. "Don't you want to be liked?"
My old mentor frowned slightly, then gave a shrug.
"I suppose it would be nice," he said. "But I really don't give it much thought."
"But ..."
"And neither should you."
There was a levelness and firmness, almost a warning, in his tone that brought me up short.
Instead of protesting, I struggled for several moments trying to understand what he was trying to tell me, then surrendered with a shake of my head.
"I don't get it, Aahz.